'American Idol' Final 3 Includes Caleb Hutchinson, Parade Planned

UPDATE: Georgia Welcomes Home 'American Idol' Star With Hometown Parade

HOLLYWOOD, CA – Georgia's "American Idol" star, Caleb Lee Hutchinson, 19, will have a parade and perform in downtown Dallas on Tuesday, May 15, after two memorable performances Sunday night that thrust him into the show's final three contestants.

Hutchinson sang Carrie Underwood's "So Small" and Jamey Johnson's "Stars in Alabama" to honor his mother on Mother's Day Sunday.

To celebrate the South Paulding High School graduate's accomplishment, the City of Dallas will host a parade and concert in Hutchinson's honor. The festivities will start at 6 p.m. with a parade on main street. The parade will start at Hardee Street and end at the historic Paulding County Courthouse. That's where Hutchinson will treat fans to a concert.

"American Idol" will be filming the parade, concert and fun and will feature a montage of highlights on the show next Sunday, May 20.

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"Every time America votes me in, I feel like I have to up my game and put a little more into it,"Hutchinson told Patch a couple of weeks ago in an interview.

"American Idol" has always been a staple in the Hutchinson house. "My parents watched it every night," he said. "I'm sure that's part of the reason why I wanted to be a singer."

"Hutch" said the most surprising thing about the show he grew up watching is the work that goes into it by the performers.

"You watch it at home and think all those guys are doing is getting up there and singing their song," he said. "But there's a lot that goes into each of those performances. They have to figure out how they're going to work each performance and how they are going to sing each song. We work on it every day from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m."
Hutchinson said his authenticity and his faith are his strongest attributes. They will see him through to the end.

"Everything I do on 'American Idol' is authentic," he said. "I know the good Lord got me this far. Why not see me through to the end?"

It was a trait that "American Idol" judge Katy Perry noticed when she saw his performance during the audition.

"I think you have a very lovely voice, a really nice, vast vibrato that is unusual in a male voice, so the texture of your voice feels a little bit unique," she said. "You seem really comfortable, that's really hard to find and it feels like you're very centered. Which is also really hard to find. So congratulations on being a good human being."

Who will be there at the end with Hutchinson, if he makes it?

"Everyone who is left is so different," he said "We're all just relying on America's vote at this point. My main focus is on doing my best and making my family and all those people back home proud of me. I thank them every day for their support."

No matter where Hutchinson finishes, he just hopes this is the spark that ignites his career.
"I'm really hoping this kind of opens doors for me," he said. "I want to make a career out of music. I really feel like that's what I was born to do."

The two contestants joining Hutch in the finals are: Maddie Poppe and Gabby Barrett.

They will sing it out for top dog next week in a two-night finale. Leaving the ABC show Sunday were Cade Foehner and Michael J. Woodward.

Track Caleb Lee Hutchinson's "American Idol" progress here:

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Dallas 'Idol' Star Makes Top 10 With Strong Performance: WATCH
Dallas 'Idol' Star Makes Top 10 With Strong Performance: WATCH
Banjo Performance Could Propel Dallas Idol Star To Top 10: WATCH
Dallas 'American Idol' Star Meets His Own Country Idol: WATCH
American Idol Performance Puts Dallas Resident In Top 24: WATCH
American Idol Audition Sends Dallas Resident To Hollywood: WATCH

Photo courtesy ABC
Video courtesy YouTube